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@uiten gisten fattimi @time ABRAHAM G. POLHAMEUS, OF NYAGK, NEW YORK.

Letters .Patent No. 63,293, elated .March 26,1867.

IMPROVED WATER-TIGHT IRON TANK FOR TEE PROTECTION 0]? TEE TIMBRES 0F STEAMBOATS.

ilge tlgthtrlt ttettn tu in tlgne tittett nnit ma' mating put at tige 5mn.

TG ALL WHOM l'l MAY CONCERNE Be it known that I, ABRAHAM G. POLIIAMEUS, of Nyack, inthe county or" Rockland, and State ot' New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steamboats for Protection against Fire; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming apart of this specif ication, in which- Figure 1 isa plan of my invention.

Figure Y? is a vertical longitudinal section, taken in the plane ofthe line u; x, iig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of steaniboats,`to protect them against the danger of iire, and consists in the construction of an iron tank or reservoir of water as a foundation for the boilers and furnaces. It is well known that lires frequently occur under the boilers and furnaces ot' steamboats, and they are generally involved in mystery and uncertainty as to their er gli. But, in fact, by constant exposure to heat, wood gradually undergoes a change in its nature and condition which renders it highly intlaniinable, and at a certain stage of its conversion into a species of charcoal it readily ignites at a high temperature without the direct contact of re. For this reason lires often .occur beneath the boilers and furnaces of steamboats which are hidden and unknown, und, after smoulderingi'er days, break out suddenly and mysteriously. In the course of six or .seven years7 service the kcelsons and flooring under the boiler and furnaces of steamboats become so changed and liable to danger from this cause that it is a common practice to overhaul and renew the wood-workat great expense. 'llo obviute the danger und the necessary expense of repairs arising from this source is the object ol' this invention.

iz c represent. the hull of a steamboat; c c keelsons on the ilooring timber.; e e. vResting on the keelsons is luid a ilat tank, A, .several inches thick, constructed of plate iron, and riveted together like a boilei to inakc it water-tight, which tank shall be eeextensire with the boilers and furnaces and lire-room, and forni their foundation. To support the weight of the furnaces and boilers, socket-screw bolts cl d, encased in rmter-tight tubes, pass vertically through the tank, hearing on the keelsons and the iooring timbers; or iron blocks may be fitted on the inside of the tank between the upper and lower shells, te sustain the weight of the boilers and furnaces, and allow of a free circulation of water in the tank, with which it-is to be filled, either by a system ot' pipes gg, leading from the tank and passing through the sides of the vessel to the water outside, or by means of pumps on the inside. The pipes g g, communicating with the water outside ot' the vessel to supply the tank and keep up constant circulation and renewal of cold water, will be provided with stop-cocks 7i L to ref/ulate the supply of water, und cut it oil when necessary for cleaning the tank out. An air pipe, t', provided with a stopccck or vent, m, is connected with the tank for the `purpose oi' carrying oi the air when it is filled with water;

u is an exit pipe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Put-ent, is

The construction of water-tight iron tanks, in which are maintained a constant change and circulation oi' water, as the fonndatioi'i of boilers and furnaces on steamboats, to prot-eetJ theni against tire, substantially as herein described.-

'lhe above speciiication ot' my invention signed oy me this 29th day et September, i866.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MCNAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

